What is the main cause of the Egyptian conflict?

Answer 1

What the real cause is because we the U.S. are allies with Israel. As we know the Muslims and the people from Israel have been going at for centuries. Therefore, Egypt got angry at the U.S. for being allies with Israel. They used a video that insulted Muslims that was produced in the U.S. as a trigger to attack our Embassy and Ambassador.

Answer 2

It is unclear as to what is meant by the Egyptian conflict. This answer will address the Arab Spring in Egypt as well as Egyptian Anti-Americanism.

Egyptian Arab Spring
If perhaps you are referring to the recent tumult in Egypt, especially between 2011-2014 when Egypt overthrew Hosni Mubarak and had its first democratic elections, there are several issues at play. The Arab Spring was the outcome of a number of repressive policies against Arab citizens from their own governments. This anger was fomenting in the Arab populaces (at different rates in different countries) pretty much since the Independence Movements secured the European Colonizers' retreat. The reason the Arab Spring did not happen earlier is that most Arabs did not believe that they had the power to overthrow their governments. The ouster of Zine Abidine ben Ali in Tunisia changed that view and encouraged Arabs in different states to revolt against their leadership.

Arab Spring Protesters had a variety of demands which a number of the Arab Leaders were not willing to concede. Some of these included, but were not limited to the following:

1) Democracy: Arabs want a hand in how their own governments create policy as opposed to the dictatorships in the Arab World that masquerade as republics when there are no elections. In Egypt, Mubarak was deeply unpopular for his failure to improve the economy, the constant spying on Egyptian citizens, and his foreign policy.

2) Economic Self-Sufficiency: Many Arabs see the current government s as having inadequately built up their economies both in terms of the governments' failure to create jobs and build internal infrastructure as well the governments' failure to make sure that grains like rice and corn remain affordable to the "average Dick and Jane Arab".

3) So-Called First Amendment Rights: Many Arabs, especially from unrepresented minorities in Egypt, like Christians, Bahai'i, and Jews, want the ability to openly pray to their Gods in their proper context and to do so on equal footing with the predominant Sunni Islam. Arabs also want to have the freedom to criticize their leaders and to protest freely against them if need be. All people who live within the borders of Egypt should be citizens regardless of race or religion and should have equal rights and privileges.

4) Transparency: Egypt was notoriously corrupt. Nepotism, racism, and many other non-meritocratic means are used to promote people into positions of power and wealth. Arab Spring Protesters want a government that is accountable to its people and that functions based on meritocracy.

Egyptian Anti-Americanism
If perhaps you are referring to Egyptian antagonism towards the USA, there are three main issues at play here.

1) American Supported Egyptian Dictatorship: The first issue is the historic American-led Repression of Egypt. Hosni Mubarak was and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi are dictators placed in control of Egypt by a coup d'etat and directly supported and financed by the United States to prevent Egypt from becoming "a problem", such as it was during the reign of Mohamed Morsi. As a result, Egyptians had to undergo three decades of repression on account of the American foreign policy, which was briefly abated for three years and resumed in 2014.

2) Israel: The second issue is the American support of the State of Israel and the corresponding lack of support given to the Palestinian Cause. Egyptians, as a people, strongly support the Palestinians and see the US support for Israel as misguided.

3) Right to Offend: Thirdly, there is a huge difference between Western and Arab understandings of Freedom of Speech. The Western understanding is that no political speech (unless arguing for violence) is to be curtailed in any way regardless of how offensive it may be. American television insults religious symbols of Judaism and Christianity without issue and the subject is quite banal. In the Arab World, the sacredness of Muhammad and the Islamic Faith is beyond reproach and saying anything incendiary about these prompts outrage. Arabs see Western Free Speech as violating the holiness of their beliefs which they believe to be paramount. (It is curious to notice that Arabs seem to not feel so strongly when other faiths, such as Judaism and Christianity are made fun of.)